How to make a huge tassel for $9

One of my most popular images of all times is the below photo of my powder room and believe it or not it’s partially due to that huge tassel hanging on the door. I get asked about it all time. I’ve been searching high and low for a similar one to send people to so they can buy one as well but I’ve had no luck whatsoever.

I also promised several people that I will come up with my own affordable version.

The other day I went to a local dollar store for something that my daughter needed and walked passed some supplies that sparked a light bulb moment.
See the big tassel I have is very structured actually and the core of it isn’t twine or wool, it’s actually wood with the material draped over it.
So I wanted to find something that I could use as a structure as well and it needed to have a bigger hole in the center for it to work the way I had it in mind.

Let me show you what I bought and the steps I took to make it. Bare with me because all the photos were taken with my cellphone in poor lighting because it was dark out already.

How to make a huge tassel

Here is a photo of what I bought at the dollar store. Minus the styrofoam ball to the left which I just noticed snuck into he photo, was from a craft store and actually not needed for this project. So…sorry about that!

I bought: thin twine, thick twine, really cheap synthetic twine because because it had the big hole in the middle I wanted. A paint roller and three mop heads.

big needle (HERE)
upholstery thread (HERE)
sharp, heavy-duty scissors (HERE)
small hair rubber bands or something similar (HERE and they are even better than the ones I used because they are clear)
possibly one or two big wood beads (HERE and HERE)
miter saw (HERE)

Step-by-step photos

I started with the first mop head by taking the sewed middle part out which then left same length cords.

Then I took the thread ball with the big hole in it and stuffed the mop head cords through the center. In my case the mop head fit the hole perfectly. So you might want to consider that when you try to fin the right size at the dollar store.

Here you can see all the cords running through the center.

I then picked two strands out of the center at side that will end up being the bottom of the tassel.

I tied those two strands to the tight twine. The reason for that is that you need to also find the other side of those two pieces of twine because they will be the part that you can hang the tassel from. So find the other end to the two pieces and knot them at the top.

This is so you can hang it all like the below photo:

I also chose to unthread the mop threads to give it all more volume.

In this next step is where the paint roller comes in place. I only wanted a smaller piece so I cut it off with a standard miter saw.

Then I took that piece of paint roller and threaded it onto the center of the tassel threads. The reason I did this is because you can tie off the tassel better and it gives it more volume and structure.

I then straightened, tightened and tied the mop head yarn around the ball and paint roller center with the thicker twine.

Then I took the heavy duty sharp pair of scissors to cut the mop in half the way you can see below.

Next I used the upholstery thread and curved needled to sew the mop edges together like you can see below again.

I then wrapped the sewn together mop head pieces around the bottom of the tassel head. It worked out great for me because the pieces fit perfectly but you can use another mop head if needed.

Sew the edges together to make the fit tight.

You can then just wrap a lot of twine around the neck and call it a day. I’m showing you in the below picture how that would look next to my other large tassels. (The mop head tassel is the one on the left)

However I wanted to do more…

I threaded two beads onto the top of the tassel head. It actually helps keeping it stable up there.

With the hair ties I tied off the same pattern as my existing tassel has.

Then I took the thin twine and just wrapped and tied it around the rubber bands to hide them.

All the way around.

I wanted more than the yarn wrapped around the head of the tassel.I took that yarn off again and I decided to make a big friendship bracelet. Have you made one of them before? My daughter makes them all the time and it’s actually a form of macrame if you look at it closer. You can use this youtube tutorial HERE if you’ve never made one.
I hung the string from one side to another in the room and tied the three knots on the string the way you can see below. Do not start the way you start a friendship bracelet so you have an easier time sewing it together later.

Then I did the same steps as you take with knotting the thread for a friendship bracelet.

Voila here it is!

It fit all the way around the neck of the tassel and I’m sorry but I totally forgot to take a photo of the way I sewed it together. Let me explain: I cut the end with all the strings hanging off to shorter strings. And when I wrapped the piece around the tassel, I let the end that had only two strings hanging over the edge with all the strings which hid them perfectly.

Then I used the upholstery thread and needles again to sew the edges together. All you had left to do is stuff the two loose strands under the big friendship bracelet.

There are so many possibilities in how you can make these and I’m pretty sure this won’t be my last huge tassel because I’m hooked.

Here it is hanging with my other tassel and I love them both.

mirror HERE | sink HERE | pop-up drain HERE | faucet HERE | similar vanity marble top HERE | lighting HERE | cabinet door HERE | similar towel HERE | towel ring vintage and you can find a similar one HERE | basket sold out but find similar one HERE and my tassel tutorial HERE, handmade soap HERE and HERE | click HERE for the stencil DIY and you can buy the stencil HERE and HERE now

I you love tassels as much as I do then you should check out this big stacked tassel I made recently as well HERE. You can also use this one on your purse which looks great.

I’m a German citizen living in the US who is cuckoo for all things DIY, design and pets. This is my design journey on a budget. Come stay a while and look around. Click HERE to read more about me and HERE to see my projects and blog posts.

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